The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Indian ports on Antwerp’s radar

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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Indian ports on Antwerp’s radar

Special Correspondent

Belgian delegation in Chennai to sustain the momentum in bilateral ties

“We believe that India’s growth is sustainable”
“Antwerp, Indian ports have a lot to learn from each other”

CHENNAI: The Belgian port city of Antwerp is looking at increased collaboration with Indian ports and logistics verticals by leveraging its status as a maritime gateway to the European markets.

Marc Van Peel, Vice-Mayor of Antwerp and Chairman, Port of Antwerp, who is leading a Belgian delegation to Chennai, told a meeting hosted on Monday by the Southern India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) that India was an important trade partner.

“We’re investing in India because we’ve seen what is happening in the world and believe that India’s growth is sustainable and there is less risk of major economic upheavals,” Mr. Peel said.

Belgium is already the third-largest trading partner for India within the European Union and Antwerp is the largest import and export port with an annual volume of 4.2 million tonnes of freight that includes steel, forest products and granite.

“India is very important and its importance will increase in future. We hope we can share a lot of common values in economic prosperity,” Mr. Peel said.

The delegation is here to keep the bilateral momentum going after a visit last year by the King of the Belgians (Albert II) when he attended a SICCI conclave on Indo-Belgian port collaboration.

An important outcome of that visit was the inking of an MoU between SICCI and the Federation of Enterprises in Belgium (FEB).

Werner Van Der Cruyseen, Custom Attaché, Embassy of Belgium in Delhi, said the Belgian government and the Ministry of Finance and Customs had committed to collaborating with the private sector. While Customs laws required duties and checks, the government also realised that it was important to facilitate smooth trade and stimulate business.

Antwerp and Indian ports have a lot to learn from each other, Mr. Cruyseen said.

Jawahar Vadivelu, SICCI vice-president, said India’s maritime sector was tipped to attain a size of $80 billion by 2020.

While welcoming Antwerp’s plans of becoming a wider gateway for Indian shipments to Europe, Mr. Vadivelu told the visiting delegation that south India was making significant strides in industrialisation and held excellent bilateral trade potential.

Among those who interacted with the Belgian delegation were Mohan Verghese Chunkath, CEO, Tamil Nadu Maritime Board; Subash Kumar, Chennai Port Trust chairman; and S. Velumani, chairman of the Ennore Port Ltd.

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